How Long Did You Wait For Your Factory Special-ordered Is?

[hengkoy]

I just want to know the average wait time for a factory special-ordered IS. I ordered mine (through my sister-in-law who works for Toyota) on April 14th. It's been a little over a month now, and I've been told it takes an average of about 3 to 4 months. Please vote on the poll if you actually special ordered your IS from the factory, and not acquired some other way- ie. shipped from another dealership, car was already allocated etc.

Here's what I ordered:

07 IS350 Obsidian/Black, X-package, HID headlamps w/AFS, NAV/ML, Dual Sport Exhaust (HKS) w/ Rear GFX, Rear lip spoiler, Preferred Acc package

I'm sure you can understand my anxiety level. I go to dealerships in the neighborhood every chance I get just to admire the IS and dream about it!

[jetman]

You're lucky to have been able to special order one - good thing you had connections. From what I've been told, it's tough as nails to get a dealer to special order a vehicle. They'd much rather have you take a car off their lot. In my case, the dealer offered me me an incentive to take a car he had coming in rather than taking one from the stock of a dealer in a nearby city.

If you check the stock of a several dealers, you'll find cars at different price points which are equipped exactly the same. Only difference is the color. Lexus makes some good options for their vehicles, but trying to actually find a car equipped with them is not easy. I wanted to check out an IS with the ML sound system, but there wasn't one within 150 miles of my dealership...

[Manolo1]

I wanted my IS350 with just the X package and little else. The dealer told me it could take 3 months or more, so I ended up ordering a special color -Starlight Pearl- with the standard luxury package (all the IS this dealer offers have the basic Premium Package which includes:

- Auburn bird's-eye maple interior trim

- Perforated leather-trimmed interior

- Heated and ventilated front seats

- Bi-xenon High-Intensity Discharge (HID) headlamps and Adaptive Front Lighting System (AFS)

- 18-in Alloy Wheels with Summer Tires

Took 5-6 weeks to get that car.

[TOOL IS350]

Thats sounds like one badass IS you ordered! Patience payes, i got a color that i didnt really want because i couldnt wait to get my IS. Cant wait to see pics when you finally get it!

[Gaugster]

None of the dealers in my area were willing to do a special order vehicle. I had to go out of state. Nobody had an IS250 with ML when I was looking.

2007 IS250 AWD BLK/GRY, Lux Pkg, NAV/ML, PCS, Wood Trim.

[rivrIS]

I went through the very same thing. I wanted an IS350 Obsidian/Gray with Lux, NAV, ML, HKS, Ground Effects... haha good luck. Then I decided to opt for a Obsidian/Black, not a snow ball's chance of a dealer trade to get that one so I spent a day on the phone calling all the local dealers, and low and behold on about my 8th call I found 2 of them in Mission Viejo. Not only did they have the car but they beat the original price of $41,500, and I got a pretty good deal on all the goodies I added.

Persistance pays when trying to get what you want, and if you have your heart set on ordering your car you will have to search for just the right dealer who will (1) do it and (2) know how to do it right.

[hengkoy]

Thats sounds like one badass IS you ordered! Patience payes, i got a color that i didnt really want because i couldnt wait to get my IS. Cant wait to see pics when you finally get it!

Thanks. You guys will be the first to know as soon as I get it. I'll post lots of pix. I'm thinking about getting a clear bra, tint, and add the OEM side rocker panels GFX kit. My order is coming with the front and rear GFX, but not the sides. The front GFX is from the X-package, then I added the HKS exhaust with Rear GFX.

It looks like the average wait time is 3-4 months.

[jetman]

Does anyone know exactly WHY many dealers won't do a special order vehicle? How much effort is it on their part to fill out the paperwork and send it out to Lexus? I mean, the dealer will still make his profit on a special order, so why wouldn't it be in his best interest to do so? And the dealer could easily say "I can special order this car for you, but you'll have to pay full sticker price." If you want the car bad enough then you'll agree to pay. Theoretically, the dealer could stand to make more profit on a special order than with a vehicle already on the lot. Also, it's been my understanding that if a car stays on the lot for any length of time, the dealer is paying interest on the money he borrowed to purchase the vehicle. A special order, on the other hand, has immediate profit to the dealer, providing customer financing (and a deposit) is taken care of at time of order. And if I say "I'm taking my business to the Infiniti dealer accross the street if you don't do the special order" then the Lexus dealer makes ZERO profit.

Doesn't make sense. Maybe someone in the business who reads the forum can explain it to me...

[rivrIS]

Does anyone know exactly WHY many dealers won't do a special order vehicle? How much effort is it on their part to fill out the paperwork and send it out to Lexus? I mean, the dealer will still make his profit on a special order, so why wouldn't it be in his best interest to do so? And the dealer could easily say "I can special order this car for you, but you'll have to pay full sticker price." If you want the car bad enough then you'll agree to pay. Theoretically, the dealer could stand to make more profit on a special order than with a vehicle already on the lot. Also, it's been my understanding that if a car stays on the lot for any length of time, the dealer is paying interest on the money he borrowed to purchase the vehicle. A special order, on the other hand, has immediate profit to the dealer, providing customer financing (and a deposit) is taken care of at time of order. And if I say "I'm taking my business to the Infiniti dealer accross the street if you don't do the special order" then the Lexus dealer makes ZERO profit.

Doesn't make sense. Maybe someone in the business who reads the forum can explain it to me...

My husband used to be a Director of Operations for a dealership in Santa Monica, CA, so he has been on the inside of that business...

Most of them don't know how to properly order a car, nor do they care... they are worried about the ones they already have in stock. Now one would think that if thats the industry you work in every day for most of your life you would be able to learn it after a while. And though this is not a hard and fast rule, a majority of "Sales" associates at a dealership don't even know their product, nor do they care. My first test drive in a Lexus, they guy had worked there less than a week... I knew more about his car than he did. As for the Sales Managers, move existing units... ordered cars don't go in this month's numbers... its all about that month's numbers. I watched my husband suffer for years with this, about 3 days before the end of the month, it was like PMS on steroids.

For each unit moved (over a certain threshold) they receive a concession (a discount on future ordered vehicles), then there is dealer hold back (which is $ paid for each vehicle that is sold on a monthly basis after the deal is closed - like kick back $). Then there are the flooring fees, it is like a monthly lease payment to corporate... that costs their bottom line. The longer a car sits, the longer they pay, the less profit that a particular unit will generate upon closing of a deal.

The major profit in most dealerships is made in the Finance Department and Service after the fact... they all have monthly goals and the automobile business is a very vicious one... you don't make your numbers, they blow you out and find someone who will... and so on and so on.

Believe me I squaked and squaked about the Black on Gray... I wanted that combo, every dealer had a different story, they don't make that unit, it will be 4 months, it will be 3 to 6 weeks, you'll have to wait for the 08 production and so on. I finally relented and went for the black on black... its beautiful but the gray would have been just off the charts! My husband had to remind me several times why I would not be an easy car to obtain... I had all the time in the world but didn't possess the energy to fight the battle.

All that being said, I absolutely love my car... I got lucky, it was 99.9%.

[Lex1600]

Ordered a NX350h May 21st, and have recently received a VIN number of the vehicle. So if it is made in Japan, it will be 8-10 wks from when the VIN was received - which I think is assigned when the car is produced.